Secret talks have been taking place between the DUP, Ulster Unionist
Party and the British Conservatives which could bolster unionist
domination in the north of Ireland for generations to come, it has
emerged.

Talks between the parties in England at the weekend were described by
unionists as ‘private’, but the revelations of a possible ‘pan-unionist
front’ has jeopardised the talks process in Belfast.

The primary purpose of the talks at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire is
to ensure that Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness is prevented from holding
the post of First Minister following the next assembly election.

The position normally goes to the largest party in the Belfast Assembly.
As substantial DUP support has leaked to the extreme unionist TUV in
recent years, Sinn Fein is seen to be in a position to potentially
secure the post in the event of an Assembly election. However, under
Assembly rules, a formal pre-election link between the UUP and the DUP
could allow the two parties to be considered as one for the purposes of
retaining the top post and winning key Ministerial posts.

Moreover, a deal to agree single unionist candidates for the Westminster
election and to bolster the majority of the Conservative Party in the
event of a hung Westminster parliament is also in the works, it has been
reported.

Any pact ahead of the Westminster elections expected by May could damage
the prospects of SDLP deputy leader Alasdair McDonnell holding his South
Belfast House of Commons seat and possibly threaten Michelle Gildernew’s
Sinn Fein seat in Fermanagh-South Tyrone.

A realignment involving the DUP, the UUP and the Conservatives could
secure unionist control of the Belfast Assembly and relegate any need to
reach a deal in talks with Sinn Fein. Danny Kennedy of the UUP confirmed
the meeting took place and indicated strategies were being considered
that would be to the advantage of unionism in general.

“We do not propose, however, to go into any kind of detail in relation
to that [the talks] except to say we considered both the short-term,
medium-term and long-term interests of all of the people of Northern
Ireland,” he said. He also indicated that “further or enhanced” talks
would take place.

A deal at the Hatfield House talks would mean the DUP would not fear
allowing the negotiations in Belfast to stagnate or fail. Any
subsequent collapse of the Assembly could also allow Peter Robinson to
reassert his leadership despite the recent scandal over his wife’s
financial dealings with two developers and a teenage paramour.

A deal could also have benefits for the Tories were there to be a hung
parliament after the Westminster elections. Up to 12 unionist MPs voting
Conservative could be crucial in such circumstances.

Dr McDonnell who took what had been the safe unionist seat of South
Belfast in the 2005 British general election yesterday accused Tory
leader David Cameron of “engaging in naked sectarianism and exploiting
the policing and justice crisis to play the Orange card”. “Everyone can
see this for what it is, a cynical attempt by the Tories to grab a few
Orange votes ahead of the forthcoming Westminster election.”

Sinn Fein has made no comment on the Hatfield House talks. However, it
insisted this [Thursday] evening that parallel talks on transferring
policing and justice powers from London to Belfast must come to a head
by the weekend. It is understood that the negotiations in Belfast have
been significantly strained by the revelations on the secret
pan-unionist talks in England.

There is now a clear sense that the talks are reaching a make-or-break
point with the Ulster Unionist Party, the nationalist SDLP and unionist
Alliance Party for the first time receiving some detailed briefings
about the process discussions.

There is understood to be continuing disagreement over the parades
issue, and the date for the transfer of powers. Meanwhile, the SDLP has
thrown a spanner into the mix when in declared that it will pull out of
the Stormont Executive if the Alliance Party is handed the proposed new
justice Ministry.

Sinn Fein vice president Mary Lou McDonald denied her party was setting
a new deadline following its previous Christmas deadline.

However, after a briefing from Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness,
she indicated that, after three years of stalemate, the DUP had still
not gone far enough in the negotiations.

“I have to say that, at this time, there’s not yet an indication from
the DUP that they are ready to step up to the plate and meet their
commitments,” she said.

She confirmed the party’s Ard Chomhairle [leadership board] will meet on
Saturday.

Ms McDonald added: “The St Andrews Agreement is now three years old, the
process that we are involved in is really one of completion and not
renegotiation.

“We want this to work, there’s now an obligation on all of us and in
particular the DUP to step up to the plate, meet their commitments and
to make this work.

“We will not operate on the basis of any preconditions. All of the
matters outstanding have been agreed some three years back at St Andrews
and now it is the job of politics here in the north of Ireland to do its
job, to meet its commitment and the DUP can’t hold up progress.”